Karolina Kurkova vs Elisabetta Gregoraci

(Lioness Club vs BBU Independent)
(12-9, 9 KO vs 9-4, 9 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Czech model Karolina Kurkova returns to BBU for the first time since 2017 and vows to heap more misery on former lightweight title challenger Elisabetta Gregoraci. The lanky Italian was set to roll through the 130 lbs division until she got knocked out by then-champion Alessandra Ambrosio and hasn't looked the same since. She knocked out genuine welter Alex Curran in the so called meantime but a recent loss to the unheralded prospect Kelly Gale set her back again.

Meanwhile Kurkova's FCBA career has seen a promising dose of success when she reached semi-finals of the European Cup in the summer before a Lioness Club in-house beach boxing clash saw her toppled by Sandra Kubicka. This leaves Karolina caught between two worlds, she can still be a genuine threat in BBU but would earn more as solid gatekeeper on the other side of Atlantic. Taking Gregoraci's scalp can only help her status and Lioness coach Mel B. views this as a no-lose situation!

Karolina Kurkova wears a yellow bikini set & brown gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a sleek ponytail. Elisabetta Gregoraci wears a black bikini set & red gloves. Long black hair tied in a half-up ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
Elisabetta lights up the early scoring by thumping the blonde up the middle while Karolina struggles to make her efforts count and loses the initial exchange before she gets clubbed on the temple and drops into heavy coverage. She refuses to slug it out with the charging brunette and bides her time in mid-distance but gets backed onto the ropes and has to apply the counter-punching response to tame Gregoraci's onslaught. She whacks her across the chest but eats a nasty uppercut on the jaw regardless and gets dumped on top of the ropes as the Italian hits the overdrive button and buries the blonde underneath a swarming galore. Huh! Elisabetta truly takes no prisoners in the opening round and keeps pounding away in fury to rattle Kurkova into a standstill before she barges into her ribcage and duly cleans out shop with little resistance from the subdued opponent.

Round 2:
Karolina tries to recover from that opening round whitewash and loops several crisp shots into Elisabetta's face but the older model simply keeps coming forward and enforces the slugging presence that overwhelms the blonde down the stretch. Karolina delivers the overhand response but lacks genuine power and drifts into defensive circles once she soaks up one hooking drive too many. Gregoraci is glued into her head-hunting attack and backs Kurkova onto the ropes come the final minute again where she shakes off the clinching stalemate to switch downstairs and pound more tummy leaving the blonde in a desperate cover in the process.

Round 3:
Elisabetta threatens to blow Karolina away when she cuts her up across the nasal ridge but an accidental headbutt slows her progress and allows the struggling Czech to catch her breath. She packs some body shots and shoves the Italian back before she finally beats her to the punch and lands a wild swing on the mouth. Elisabetta refuses to back off though and reaches out with more aerial venom but gets clipped from the inside as Kurkova rallies back with an uppercut series. She adds a thumping double on the chest and bumps the brunette onto the ropes with a rare jug-to-jug contact. Elisabetta swings again but Karolina ducks underneath the punch and whacks the older model in the guts before another uppercut check drops Gregoraci onto the turnbuckle right at the bell.

Round 4:
Karolina tackles the older model to the body and rips a brutal hook on the liver area to bend Elisabetta to the side before she carries an uppercut stunner into her jaw. Elisabetta drops to her heels but refuses to seek respite and loops a wild cross that finds only thin air so the Czech blonde steps up with a powerful right hook on the nose that spins the brunette onto the ropes. Gregoraci was lucky to avoid a knockdown but she remains trapped in a precarious spot as Kurkova thumps her on the chest to drain more energy before slicing her high guard on the turn. Elisabetta can't punch herself out of this hole and soaks up one nasty blow after another; she gets cut under the left eye as Karolina powers ahead with a head-hunting juice and bends the Italian into more spasms when she tackles her rack in the closing stages.

Round 5:
Elisabetta doesn't strike a confident pose anymore as Karolina finds a proper range clipping her jugs repeatedly before a left hook on the ear sends the Italian on the retreat. Kurkova hassles her around the ring and works the single-hand assault until she traps the reeling brunette on the turnbuckle where she punishes more midsection. Elisabetta clinches her for a brief respite but Karolina still knocks more leather into her guts and runs away with a one-sided beating come the final minute. She blasts quick harpoons into Gregoraci's ribcage and leaves the older model visibly drained at the bell.

Round 6:
Karolina squares up to the ailing Italian and beats her for an aerial attack that opens another small cut below the right eye. Elisabetta barks in her efforts to maintain the blonde's high-octane attack but gets picked off repeatedly and wobbles to the side when the Czech woman blasts her on the temple. She adds another quick hook on the chest and bounces the Italian off to the ropes where she scythes her across the mouth. Elisabetta sinks on jelly knees and loses all her slugging bug to the point Karolina tears into her face with more vicious striking and WRENCHES THE AILING BRUNETTE ONTO HER KNEES just past the one-minute mark! Ugh! Gregoraci simply couldn't take the heat anymore but she still gets up at eight and pretends she's doing just fine... she's not doing fine though and Karolina keeps her trapped on the ropes while working on those two cuts and she pummels the Italian into stupor to the point Elisabetta slumps behind a desperate earmuff and allows the blonde to work her over!!! THE REF STEPS IN and calls it a day as Elisabetta wobbles against the ropes and spits out her gumshield in pure frustration. TKO6 Karolina Kurkova!!!

AFTER:

  It's been several years since Karolina was still regarded as future BBU champion and she might no longer be a true elite force yet she can upset any fellow contender on a good day. And the 10th Aniversary PPV proved to be a very good day for the lanky blonde. She punched the fighting spirit out of Elisabetta and looked pretty ruthless doing so! Sandra Kubicka might be the new lightweight star on the Lioness Club roster but don't sleep on Karolina doing her thing in the background! It's still uncertain whether this was a mere one-off BBU return - even Kurkova herself can't confirm it - but there are deals being made backstage that might send the Czech model into another beach boxing trip real soon.

Official Result: Karolina Kurkova def. Elisabetta Gregoraci TKO6.